Customers still waiting for their bags two weeks later

Some increasingly frustrated travelers are still missing their luggage after flying with Porter Airlines over the holidays.

Katie McLean left on a Porter flight from Halifax to Toronto on Dec. 20, but her luggage did not. Nearly two weeks later, her belongings are still in limbo.

The problem started with a short delay of about a half hour in Halifax on Dec. 20. Passengers were alerted that Porter would only be operating out of one gate at that airport. Because of the delay, the plane ended up landing in Hamilton, Ont., rather than Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto’s waterfront.

As passengers awaited a shuttle bus to Toronto, without word from Porter representatives, it became clear that the majority of the luggage hadn’t made it to Ontario.

“It was just a big mess,” McLean told Canada.com.

The Porter reps who were on the scene had very little information about what had become of everyone’s bags, she said.

“It was really unusual how badly they answered questions.”

For several days, McLean said Porter’s customer service phone lines were so bogged down she couldn’t get through or leave a message. On Dec. 28, McLean was contacted to provide an address so a courier service could deliver her bags. Porter were unable to provide the courier company’s name or a tracking number. Five days since that call, the bags have still not arrived.

McLean said she flies about once per month and once preferred Porter to their regional competitors, but not anymore.

“I would never plan to fly with them again,” said McLean.

Porter has gone into damage control mode on Twitter and Facebook, apologizing for the delays. According to Porter spokesperson Brad Cicero, winter weather has forced some flights to carry extra fuel, limiting the amount of baggage they can safely hold. Combined with extra-heavy holiday luggage and ongoing weather in Porter’s network, a backlog has been slowing down luggage delivery.

Cicero said the backlog started with severe weather prior to Christmas, including the ice storm that wreaked havoc on the Toronto area before moving east to Quebec and the Maritimes. The Halifax to Toronto route is one of Porter’s longer flights, further increasing the amount of fuel that needed to be carried.

Cicero said most of the bags delayed before Christmas have been returned, “but obviously there are a few exceptions.”

“What we’re managing currently are probably some delays that have occurred more recently over the last few days. We’re trying to deliver all those bags within a couple of days of scheduled arrival for those people at this stage,” he said.

Porter offers a $25 per day credit for lost bags, to a maximum of five days. A Red Flag Deals forum post said an email from Porter was offering a $400 credit for customers whose flights were cancelled. Cicero said Porter deals with issuing credits on a case-by-case basis.

Anne Connolly is also still waiting for her bags, after a flight from Halifax to Toronto on Dec. 21. Like McLean, Porter didn’t tell the flight that their bags were not on the flight and it was only after an hour of waiting at baggage claim that it became clear the bags weren’t coming.

On Dec. 29, a Porter baggage representative said her luggage had been delivered by a courier service, but Connolly said she still doesn’t have them and have now sent a photo to help them locate it. She thinks they may have been delivered to the wrong address, especially after a man posted on Porter’s Facebook page that he had received delayed luggage that didn’t belong to him.

“I think they’ve lost them. I don’t think they have any idea where they are at this stage,” said Connolly.

Like McLean, she doesn’t plan to fly with the airline again.

“It’s not because they lost the bags,” said Connolly. “Everybody makes mistakes. The minute you know you’ve made a mistake and do not rectify it, it is no longer a mistake. It is a conscious decision.”

Several other upset passengers told Canada.com their own luggage is still missing. They issues are apparently ongoing, as one flyer said only three pieces of luggage made it onto their Halifax to Toronto flight on New Years Day due to “weight restrictions.”

“We landed in Toronto at baggage claim and a porter employee shouted ONLY 3 BAGS WERE ON THIS FLIGHT due to weight restrictions,” Jessica Sayde told Canada.com in an email. “Everyone’s jaws dropped. I think they are so backed up in delayed luggage they put previous passengers bags on our flight. It’s just a mess.”